Pro Stars RULED!

Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzsky, and Bo Jackson as Cartoons. AWESOMENESS!

Salton Sea

Last year when we were in Palm Springs shooting the USTA/US Open job, Scooter and I went and checked out the Salton Sea. Also see these references:

California Gov. page

Apparently a a choice spot in the 30's and 40's but by the 50's waste from Mexico pumped in there and polluted the hell out of it.  There are abandoned houses with the swingsets in the backyards, really creepy.  We were on the western side and the whole area is filled with orange groves surrounding it.

I can only tell you that i have quit eating any CA oranges after this as i can imagine they are irrigated by the sea.  There were dead floating fish and it stunk for miles.  This thing is no small lake it measures at 376 sq. miles.  

I always liked this photo i shot there at dusk, very fitting for the place.

Also a strange movie that I like with Val kilmer: The Salton Sea

It also has Peter Sarsgaard in it who has 2 of the best sketches ever based on his name on SNL in the last few years:

Barack Obama, A year later

I sent this to a few friends and people awhile back, but came across it again reorganizing some files.  I worked for Jeff Riedel on a Time magazine shoot for the 50 Most Influential People of 2007. Barack was the subject.  We shot him in this old theater in Ybor City and he had just announced his candidacy.  At the time he was one of about 10 candidates, not taken super seriously. Now it seems like it is going to be tough for him to lose (my opinion, not pushing any views).  Anyway, we spent about 4 hours lighting this old theater for the senator.  He came in and knew all of our names without being told and was extremely easy to talk to and could not have been cooler and more interested in what we were doing.  We shot him in the theater and then I had to strap a 7B on and carry a stand with a beauty dish and run down a steep flight of stairs leading Barack into a crowd of about 1500 people, while Jeff's 1st assistant Ed held onto me so I did'nt eat it.  I would not mention it but the image made it into Time, Me and Obama immortalized in print.  Jeff Reidel is a great guy to work for and an amazing photographer, would work with him anytime. I really like the portrait Jeff did and that Theater has about 20 lights hidden all over the place. Scott B held it down for us as well. Wish Obama would pick a running mate, McCain as well. 

BOTH IMAGES JEFF RIEDEL for TIME. 

Anheuser Busch Sells! Inbev In. Shitty beer gets worse?

THE LARGEST ALL CASH DEAL IN HISTORY@#$?!

We'll see how long it takes Inbev to dump the board of directors and the amusement parks.

Doubt they will have the same sympathy for dolphins and Clydesdales the Busch family did.

to read more from the Wall Street Journal: Anheuser Busch Deal

I got to meet Augustus Busch IV working for Marcus Swanson on a mega production shoot for 

Discovery Cove. We had to build custom rigs that boomed the strobes out over the water and lit the main cove/pool with giant 20k's  around the edge of the pool.  Augustus wasn't scared to spend some bucks advertising big fish, nor his other parks or beer companies.  I hope this does not have an effect on local advertising dollars that Overflow and other production companies take in throughout the year.

Super funny drunk dude

Classic.

Interviews with top Photographers

Richard Avedon

  

Annie Leibovitz

Henri Cartier-Bresson

Charlie Rose always does great interviews, check out his site for interviews with some of the biggest names in the photo world.  For more than the ones I have linked here go to:

www.charlierose.com/features/photographers

Kinda cool on in the background while your working on other stuff.  Especially if you have two monitors.

NYC Panoramics

I was just up in the city for 5 days shooting PSA's for the Ad Council and Arnold WW.  Spent 4th of July running around Lower Manhattan and watching the fireworks, I will put some images of that up later.  Anyway, I had the opportunity to shoot a panoramic of the Brooklyn Bridge in the afternoon of the 4th and also the shoot the rooftop view looking north from W 81st of the Upper West Side at sunset.  Thanks to Liz and Onur Tuncer for the roof access.  All shot with Canon 1 Ds Mk2 50mm lens and each pano is anywhere from 8-10 images stitched together, all handheld no tripod, using photomerge in PS CS3.  Works pretty well for web, would use something more sophisticated like Real Viz Stitcher for the print.  The Brooklyn Bridge shot is from the 2nd floor of Pier 17 at the foot of Fulton St. looking up the East Side and Brooklyn.